Misinformed And Misdirected Hostility

Since the story surfaced that Michael Nylander chose Washington over Edmonton (and more money), a handful of columnists have questioned Nylander's decision by taking cheap shots at our nation's capital. Yet another example from the Edmonton Sun's John Short in his column this morning:

The same Nylander who chose to live in Washington, probably the most violent city in North America, and insisted it was his right to take millions less for the privilege.

Nevermind the fact that Nylander may have chosen the Caps because they're an organization on the rise with a clear sense of direction or a team where the playmaking pivot would be able to set up one of the most exciting goal scorers the game has seen in a generation.

Nevermind the fact that Nylander, father of six, may have chosen D.C. because it is a city with which he is familiar, having played here before, or one that boasts both great history and cultural institutions. Or that travel between D.C. and Nylander's native Sweden is considerably easier from the East Coast.

Come to think of it, nevermind all the facts - including that D.C. isn't even the most violent U.S. city with an NHL team (sorry to drag you into this, St. Louis, Detroit and Atlanta). Short's claim - like those before his - is based on emotion and sour grapes, not actual numbers or reason.

And one data point that Short neglects to mention? Edmonton is the murder capital of Canada.

Given all of this, it's not difficult to see why Nylander may have passed up the privilege to play in the City of Champions. Save the cheap shots for someone more deserving - Nylander's agent, perhaps.

Update: Head over to OWO for more on the morons.